CHULA VISTA – Marine Group Boat Works announced in January that it received a $633,005 grant from the U.S. Navy to establish a maritime welding program.
The deal comes as the Navy seeks to increase the number of highly skilled welders certified to meet the standards of the Naval Sea Systems Command (aka NAVSEA).
The grant comes as the Navy anticipates more demand for shipbuilding and repair. San Diego’s Barrio Logan neighborhood has several businesses that require such talent.
The Navy grant covers 75% of the total program costs with Marine Group matching the remaining 25%.
“For years, the maritime industry has struggled with figuring out who will replace the existing generation of Navy boatbuilders,” Todd Roberts, CEO of Marine Group, said in a statement issued by the company. “This Navy grant has allowed us to take matters into our own hands by coming up with a viable solution to the workforce problem.”
Marine Group partnered with the Maritime Institute San Diego to develop and deliver a highly customized curriculum, combining accredited technical instruction with the quality and safety standards required for Navy shipbuilding and repair projects. The shipyard then offers a scholarship that pays new and existing eligible employees to learn how to weld while covering the costs of course materials and instruction throughout the entire NAVSEA welding certification process. Graduates who complete the program and receive their certificate can transition into full-time welding positions at Marine Group. The business says it offers competitive pay, medical and 401(k) benefits.
“Maintaining skilled workers has not been the issue for us because of the amazing benefits a career in maritime provides,” Roberts said. “It’s finding ones who are open to a job outside the status quo of going to a four-year college and giving them the resources and training they need to get started.”
Marine Group Boat Works builds and repairs watercraft at its two facilities. Its largest shipyard in Chula Vista takes up 1 million square feet. It has more than 2,000 feet of dockage and a new 820-ton lift, rough terrain cranes, a machine shop, metalworking equipment and a propeller shop. Its sister boatyard in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico features more than 300,000 square feet of land and water, with 660-ton, 150-ton and 75-ton cranes.
The company says it employs more than 210 ABS-certified welders, shipfitters, pipefitters, mechanics, electricians, painters and other boatbuilding and repair specialists.
Marine Group Boat Works reports that graduates of its first welding class are now assigned to one of the company’s boatbuilding projects. The business is building two patrol boats for the Navy’s Foreign Military Sales program that will go to the government of Jordan. In addition, it’s building a range-support vessel for the Navy.
